Ticks biting humans in the urban area of Istanbul

A passive surveillance for tick bites in humans was undertaken in the city of Istanbul (Turkey) in the summer and autumn of 2006. From 1,054 reported tick bites, most were females of Ixodes ricinus (27%) and nymphs of Hyalomma aegyptium (50%). A few adults of Hyalomma m. marginatum, Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Dermacentor marginatus were also recorded. We investigated potential risk factors for I. ricinus and H. aegyptium with spatial statistics. Climate features at 1-km resolution (monthly minimum temperatures in late summer and autumn and rainfall) and vegetation features at high resolution (density and heterogeneity of forest-type vegetation as well as distance of reporting site to these vegetation features) are useful variables explaining high reporting clusters for both Ixodes and Hyalomma. While Ixodes is highly reported in dense highly heterogeneous vegetation patches, Hyalomma is commonly found in areas far from forest-type features and in the small, relatively dry vegetation patches within the urban fabric

Case report: intratesticular tetrathyridiosis in a cat

This report provides histological information on the incidental finding of tetrathyridium in the testicles of a three-year-old cross-bred cat. The cat was chemically castrated by intratesticular injection of calcium chloride (CaCl2). Bilateral orchiectomy was performed and no gross lesions were seen in the testicles. Histological evaluation of right testicle revealed tetrathyridium with convoluted borders and a thick eosinophilic cuticle. The stroma of the parasitic body was composed of a loose mesenchymal network with widely scattered parenchymal and muscle cells, and numerous clear vesicles (calcereous corpuscles). Thus, the case was evaluated as intratesticular tetrathyridiosis. To our knowledge, this is the first descriptive report of intratesticular tetrathyridiosis in a cat

Effect of anticoccidial monensin with oregano essential oil on broilers experimentally challenged with mixed Eimeria spp

Essential oil of oregano (OEO) has proven to be a potential candidate for controlling chicken coccidiosis. The aim of the current study is to determine whether OEO and an approved anticoccidial, monensin sodium (MON), as in-feed supplements could create a synergism when combined at low dosages. Day-old broiler chickens were separated into six equal groups with six replicate pens of 36 birds. One of the groups was given a basal diet and served as the control (CNT). The remaining groups received the basal diet supplemented with 100 mg/kg MON, 50 mg/kg MON, 24 mg/kg OEO, 12 mg/kg OEO, or 50 mg/kg MON + 12 mg/kg OEO. All of the chickens were challenged with field-type mixed Eimeria species at 12 d of age. Following the infection (i.e., d 13 to 42), the greatest growth gains and lowest feed conversion ratio values were recorded for the group of birds fed 100 mg/kg MON (P < 0.05), whereas results for the CNT treatment were inferior. Dietary OEO supplementations could not support growth to a level comparable with the MON (100 mg/kg). The MON programs were more efficacious in reducing fecal oocyst numbers compared to CNT and OEO treatments (P < 0.05). Serum malondialdehyde and nitric oxide concentrations were decreased (P < 0.01), whereas superoxide dismutase (P < 0.05) and total antioxidant status (P < 0.01) were increased in response to dietary medication with MON and OEO. All MON and OEO treatments conferred intestinal health benefits to chickens by improving their morphological development and enzymatic activities. The results suggest that OEO supported the intestinal absorptive capacity and antioxidant defense system during Eimeria infection; however, it displayed little direct activity on the reproductive capacity of Eimeria. This might be the reason for inferior compensatory growth potential of OEO compared to that MON following the challenge. Combination MON with OEO was not considered to show promise for controlling chicken coccidiosis because of the lack of a synergistic or additive effect